Fired Bronze Metal Clay – Always a Surprise!

Here is the result of my latest bronze metal clay firing. I haven’t quite figured out why, but often a pair of earrings placed side by side in the kiln will come out with different colors which undesirable if the pair is a supposed to be a matched set. In this scenario, I simply buff off the colors and polish the pair to a beautiful golden bronze or I torch the pair of earrings until I achieve a rich dark brown. Another problem I often have is that the shrinkage rate of the pieces in the kiln often differ making one earring smaller than its mate. In this case, the earrings get placed in my “components” drawer to be used later as pendant or in other projects. It’s a fact that there are hot and cold spots in any kiln…even in the “Evenheat” brand kilns. My kiln is front loading so I never place pieces next to the door – it’s obvious that the door is a heat sink and items placed next to it will not fire as well as those placed at the sides or back of the kiln. Still, I find it perplexing that pieces just one-half inch away from each other will be different sizes and/or different colors! If anyone has a solution, I’d like to hear from you.

Barbara Briggs

Barbara is an artist specializing in One-of-a-Kind art jewelry and adornment. She hopes to inspire others to create beautiful objects. Follow her blog by signing up at: http://barbarabriggsdesigns.com/follow-my-blog/